Poll: Winter storage to start or not to start

It's dangerous to allow uninformed people to vote in referendums. So I'm not voting, but am watching all the comments with great interest, as I have six cars currently sleeping in garages this winter.

I have 2 technicians dealing with my Ferraris, both highly regarded veterans. One says to start the cars, one says not. If my elected representatives can't agree, I couldn't possibly cast a vote.

The only way to settle this debate would be to take say 200 identical new cars into storage, with 100 of each subjected to the different regimes, and the results charted over several years in a double-blind trial.

Anyone volunteer?

 

Ferrari's and road salt are a complete no-no! as far as I'm concerned, so driving the car in the UK once the council start throwing salt down because the temperature has dropped to 5°C is completely out of the window! (Unless it's warmed up again and we've had a decent amount of rain to wash the salt away, followed by some nice warm days - Then I might take My 348 out).

By the same token, I don't like the idea of having a car (any car - Not just a Ferrari), sitting around for 4 months or so doing nothing, with all of the oil draining back to sump/bottom of the engine, and then starting it up, knowing that there's next to no lubrication on all of the metal parts where required.

I'm not trying to convert anybody, at the end of the day it is a personal choice and up to each individual to do what they think is best, but one thing I would say is that if you are in the "Start it up regular camp", don't just leave it to warm up on idle! - Give it some gentle revving, slowly increasing the revs being used, and make sure you run the engine for at least 10 minutes after the oil is up to temperature. And if you can drive the car, all the better!

 

I think we are basically in agreement. Mine stays in and off mostly. However as pointed out by Darius even the professionals have differing opinions. Ultimately, your car, your investment and your decision as to how to store it I don't think any are wrong I just think in the ideal world (no salt etc) then using it is best.

 

Move to, or at least spend your winters, in Florida.

We drive all year long.
Alden

 

Agreed!
With the top down too.
😎

 

Not everyone has that luxury...I would love to live there or California, but that's not where my parents immigrated to 45 years ago.

 

Florida in the summer is brutaly hot, I'm down there for 2 weeks every August - it's a wife thing. I don't think I would use either the 308 or Boxer there much in the summer and both have working A/C, maybe the evening if it's not raining. But to have them there for the other 8-9 months would be great.

I try and drive my cars in the winter, when possible, because I like driving my cars. Roads need to be clean and dry. Also, I'm not going for a drive in freezing temps.

 

No one knows.

 

That's a good point. Not sure all older Ferraris are. My Mondial wasn't.

 

That makes sense to me. I guess I come down on the fewer cold starts side over running regularly, with the ultimate opinion that no one knows for sure which is better.

I really don;t think three months is too long for a car to sit, and most winters have a driving day or two in there which cuts the time sitting in half or less.

 

Making long term plans to do just that over the course of the last weekend! In the Harris chain of lakes/Mt. Dora-Tavares area. Only concern is the amount of traffic there...and which cars to bring down...

 

One way you can create peace of mind is to pull the fuel pump fuse when first starting after storage, or otherwise disable the fuel pump. Under OBD2 cold start, open loop you can push the throttle to 100% open which will disable the injectors. So anyone with a 1996 or 1997 and newer.

This allow the pump to circulate oil and coat your cylinder walls before fuel is sprayed. Helpful if you have a car that is particularly cranky and hard to start after storage. The oil increases compression and protects your bores from raw fuel washing the film off if you crank for an extended period of time. There is no oil clinging to the bores after a week. So a week or a month or six months will not make a difference if you crank the same amount of times.

Still waiting for a Boxer owner to chime in with what their storage habits are!

 

Unless it's British, it will break either way so it's better to drive it and prevent evil spirits from getting a location fix.

 

I am about 45 minutes West of Mt. Dora/Tavares.

Shoot me a PM if you want to meet up for lunch or a drive or both.
Alden

 

Closing on the house on March 1...probably by mail. Planning to be there for the Sunnyland boat show on the 24-26th of March. Not sure if I will send a car yet...and cannot decide on which one. Do you thing driving a manual/3 pedal car is a pain in that area? I sense that it is...

 

+1 I crank for oil pressure with the throttle depressed on first start after storage as well. I also agree that one week or 6 months makes no significant difference.

 

Not to beat a dead horse, but, if one week is as bad as six months why would people be concerned with winter storage. I am sure most of us often go a week in the summer without driving. Very few people have an F-car as a daily driver.

 

In my experience, letting cars (and bikes) sit unused is asking for problems.

I say a 5 - 10 minute drive every week. If you don't want to drive in snow (I wouldn't do that either), at least start the motor, and operate all the switches, etc. Every week. Also, charge the battery with a disconnect once a month.

 

Because most people don't know. Lots of speculation...

 

Lack of use can cause problems...but 5-10 minutes of periodic operation is not long enough to bring oil up to temp and remove condensation from it as well as from the exhaust system...

 

This is talking about just the motor specifically and what happens inside the bores when they sit. Sticky rings that free up on first cranks, how oil/fuel interact after sitting a long time. Most motor wear happens on startup and driving short distances so things don't have an opportunity to circulate. Modern high performance cars are now including statements such as to drive them for at least 10mi and avoid shorter trips completely.

If you own anything British with carbs, one does not simply jump into one of these cars, crank it over and drive out into the spring weather like no time has passed.

Another myth that goes right along with this is the break in procedure for new cars. You are breaking in a lot more than just the motor with mileage, but the suspension and other driveline parts, the interior, chassis welds. A modern car truly isn't broken in until the first few thousand miles as everything settles and plenty of heat cycles.

Used motor oil also protects better than fresh motor oil because it's obtained an equilibrium where the oil works once the additive package has mixed with air, fuel, and water. But you don't want to park when you are due for an oil change, right in the middle of fresh and old is best.

Oil circulates among seals. Synthetic oil can see some thin viscosities to slip past hence why they recommend high mileage blends or non-synthetic oils due to widening tolerances with older cars. In particular, think about your rear main seal and diff on a car that has been sitting for a long time. These tend to go quick once you begin using them and subjecting these seals to hot oils and pressure.

Usage is also a better conditioner for a battery then a tender. Using the A/C compressor and condenser is better. Circulating hot coolant through the heater bypass is better. It's better on the tires.

Or my favorite answer of all, why do you have it if you aren't going to drive it?

 

Removal of condensation is not the goal. The lubrication system is not vented anyway, so any condensation there will be negligible.

The goal is to operate the oiling system, and fuel system. Leaving the car sit for a long time will cause the fuel to evaporate. Leaving behind a clogging varnish. And also the oil will eventually drip off of moving parts. So when you turn the engine over after a long period, there is initially no lubrication, causing engine wear. Note the oiling procedure on a freshly rebuilt engine.

Also, it should go without saying that the engine should be warmed up first, before going on that 5-10 minute drive.